Shanker Blog » Richard Parrish And The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom

Shanker Blog » Richard Parrish And The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom:

Richard Parrish And The March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom

Posted by William P. Jones on July 18, 2013

Our guest author today is William P. Jones, history professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author ofThe March on Washington:  Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights (W.W. Norton & Co., 2013)

If Richard Parrish had his way, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom would have occurred in 1941 rather than 1963.  As President of the Federation of Colored College Students in New York City, the 25-year old student was a key organizer of the mass demonstration that union leader A. Philip Randolph called to protest discrimination in the armed forces and the defense industries during the Second World War.  He was furious, therefore, when Randolph cancelled the march in exchange for an executive order, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, prohibiting defense contractors from discriminating against workers on the basis of their race, color religion, or national origin.  Parrish agreed that this was a major victory, but pointed out that it would expire when the war ended and do nothing to address discrimination in the armed forces.  Accusing Randolph of acting without consulting the students and other groups that supported the mobilization, he insisted that the March on Washington be rescheduled immediately.

Randolph refused—accusing Parrish and other young militants of being “more interested in the drama and pyrotechnics of the march than the basic and main issues of putting Negroes to work”—but the disagreement did not prevent the two black radicals from working closely together to build a powerful alliance between the civil rights and labor movements in the postwar decades.  After completing his bachelor’s degree in 1947, Parrish worked as a teacher and union leader until his retirement in 1976.  He also worked closely with Randolph to open jobs and leadership positions for black workers in organized labor.  When Randolph decided to reorganize the March on 

7 Thoughts on What's Ahead for the Student Success Act :: Frederick M. Hess

7 Thoughts on What's Ahead for the Student Success Act :: Frederick M. Hess:

7 Thoughts on What's Ahead for the Student Success Act

by Frederick M. Hess  •  Jul 18, 2013 at 9:05 am
Cross-posted from Education Week

With the House about to move on the Student Success Act (SSA), the NCLB/ESEA reauthorization dance is back in full swing. Reporters are calling, heated e-mails are flying around the Beltway, and policy types are making heated declarations. For what it's worth, here's what's on my mind:

1] The most interesting development in the House is going to be how much grief Chairman Kline and K-12 Subcommittee Chair Rokita get from their right. This is another case of the fascinating politics in the House, where diehard conservatives like Kline and Rokita are going to get knocked around by Tea Party members and hard-right advocacy groups who think even their bill involves far too much of a federal role. Given that the SSA isn't likely to get many Democratic votes, Kline and Rokita probably need to carry at least 80% of House Republicans. In light of recent events, I'm dubious they can get there.

2] Those R's who want the feds "out" of K-12 schooling really need to be consistent and call for zeroing out IDEA, Title I, and the rest. Since they have no intention of doing that, they need to recognize that responsible federal lawmakers absolutely ought to insist on some transparency about academic outcomes and how the federal money is spent. And, like it or not, some federal language governing use of funds is going to be inevitable.

3] SSA's particular appeal to Republicans is the opportunity to rein in Sec. Duncan's expansive and creative use of waivers. The problem for Kline and Rokita is that governors, state chiefs, and superintendents who've 

Teachers For Social Justice: TSJ Solidarity with TAG Philadelphia Statement about Trayvon Martin Verdict

Teachers For Social Justice: TSJ Solidarity with TAG Philadelphia Statement about Trayvon Martin Verdict:

TSJ Solidarity with TAG Philadelphia Statement about Trayvon Martin Verdict

JULY 18, 2013 LEAVE A COMMENT

Statement from our sister organization: Teacher Action Group/Philadelphia. We are definitely in solidarity with it.

On Saturday July 13th, 2013, a jury of six women found George Zimmerman not guilty on all charges in the murder of Trayvon Martin, a young Black man who was racially profiled, considered "suspicious" simply because of the color of his skin, and then murdered on the street by a neighborhood watch vigilante.  We are outraged and disgusted by this verdict. It highlights the enormous injustices of our system, indeed forcing us to question the idea that "justice" even exists within the legal system of our country. The deep racism and historic inequality of our legal system is mirrored in the systemic inequality of our education system. It is no coincidence that the majority of schools being closed in Philadelphia, and across the country, are schools with majority Black and Brown students in low income neighborhoods. As educators, we have a responsibility to discuss, address and develop an analysis around not only this case, but also other forms of oppression and institutional racism, so that we can

UPDATE: LSC revolt grows against Rahm Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Who will 'reform' the reformers?

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: Who will 'reform' the reformers?:

Gang expert Hagedorn warns federal judge to stop Chicago school closings

John Hagedorn A SmallTalk salute goes out to UIC prof John Hagedorn for speaking truth to power during a second day of testimony before a federal judge who's considering a temporary injunction to stop the district from closing dozens of schools, nearly all in the city's mainly black south and west-side communities.John, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Illinois-Chicago's Great Cities

by Mike Klonsky / 16min 

LSC revolt grows against Rahm's budget slashing

Bell's LSC meets in response to Rahm's budget slashing.  (Sun-Times)

Parents, teachers, and faculty of Audubon Elementary voted Wednesday to reject, for the second time, a sharply reduced budget. Even with an extra $100,000 dollars in hush moneynow being offered by CPS, the budget of the Roscoe Village school would have been about $300,000 less than last year’s budget, a reduction that leaves the art and music teaching positions, as well as several administrative jobs, in jeopardy.

The Sun-Times reports that six schools, all in well-to-do areas, so far have rejected their 

Who will 'reform' the reformers?

"Please stop 'reforming' Pelican Bay, writes Truthout's Maya Schenwar.

These changes constitute "reforms" in the way that school closings in poor communities have been dubbed "education reform," or the way in which Reagan's tax cuts for the super-wealthy were championed as "tax reform." Early advocates of the prison system—the folks who brought us solitary confinement in the first place—called themselves "reformers," too.

Also see Pelican Bay prisoner, J. Baridi Williamson's piece

Protest the Student Loan Misdeal

Protest the Student Loan Misdeal:

Protest the Student Loan Misdeal

Reports are that a student loan deal is in the works, with a vote as early as today.  If consummated, it will have bipartisan support in the Senate and the support of the White House.  We urge all to call on your Senators today and tell them to oppose the deal. The deal shafts students.  It links the subsidized student loan rates to the 10-year note – adding a surcharge to that rate.  Students wi

by Robert Borosage / 6min 

Instead Of Providing Free Education, Senators Propose Raising Costs Of College

Congress should do the right thing the right thing for our people, our country and our economy and provide a free college education to everyone who qualifies. Instead student loan rates doubled July 1 because our obstructed Congress couldn’t and wouldn’t act in time. Now there is word of a Senate deal that would have the government make a profit off of students by setting loans at “market rates.”

by Dave Johnson / 6min 

Is Charter School Co-Location Tearing Public Schools Apart?:

Is Charter School Co-Location Tearing Public Schools Apart?

The following story was reported by Frying Pan News as part of its California Exposé investigative series, and published here in collaboration with The Huffington Post.

For more than 30 years each, Cheryl Smith-Vincent and Cheryl Ortega have shared a passion for teaching public school in Southern California. Smith-Vincent teaches third grade at Miles Avenue Elementary School in Huntington Park; before retiring, Ortega taught kindergarten at Logan Street Elementary School in Echo Park. Both women have been jolted by experiences with a little-known statewide policy that requires traditional public schools to share their facilities with charter schools. Ortega says she has seen charter-school children warned against greeting non-charter students who attend the same campus. Smith-Vincent reports that she and her students were pushed out of their classroom prior to a round of important student tests – just to accommodate a charter school that needed the space.

“It was extremely disruptive,” Smith-Vincent says of the incident.

The practice of housing a traditional public school and a charter school on the same campus is known as “co-location.” Charters are publicly funded yet independently 

After years of reform, California education schools fall short on new ranking system | Hechinger Report

After years of reform, California education schools fall short on new ranking system | Hechinger Report:

After years of reform, California education schools fall short on new ranking system

By Jackie Mader

This story also appeared at:

California has been trying to reform how it educates teachers for more than a decade, and some of its ideas have become a model for the rest of the country. But the vast majority of teacher preparation programs in California are still failing to adequately prepare teachers, according to a controversial new report released Tuesday that rated more than 1,200 schools of education across the nation.

The ratings, compiled by U.S. News and World Report and the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), a pro-accountability advocacy group, are part of an effort to spur improvements in teacher quality. The hope is that if education schools are pushed to do a better job of preparing teachers in the first place, the country can solve many of its academic problems.

Students in an elementary teacher preparation program at California State University-Northridge participate in a lesson prepared by a classmate. Northridge’s undergraduate education classes were rated highly in several categories, but the program overall received a low score. (Photo by Jackie Mader)

“We have scratched an inch deep into the surface of these programs. Just going that deep we find 

7-18-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Road Trip

ALEC is coming to Chicago. Let’s give them a Chicago welcome.

Bill Moyers and the United States of ALEC. A rally is being planned on Thursday, August 8th at noon at the Palmer House where the American Legislative Exchange Council is holding their meeting August 7th through the  9th. ALEC is an organization that advocates for legislation that negatively impacts working families including right to work legislation, stripping public employees of colle

by Fred Klonsky / 26min 

  Mark Stefanik: It’s a baking hot day in Chicago. My kind of CPS.

By Mark Stefanik. It’s a baking hot day in Chicago. I know better than to ask Mom to take us to Rainbow Beach. That’s a 90 minute ride across the South Side with 2 transfers on the CTA. Lucky for me there’s Kelly High School’s indoor pool. My friends and I grab towels from our apartments, cut through the alleys, wait impatiently for the light at Archer and California, and dash up the school steps

by Fred Klonsky / 6min 

7-17-13 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:    Hearings Tuesday on lawsuits against CPS school closings.Hearings begin today on two lawsuits seeking to block the Chicago school board’s decision to close 49 elementary schools and a high school program, with officials from the district and parents expected to testify over four days.   Hearings to

by mike simpson / 10h 

LISTEN TO DIANE RAVITCH 7-18-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all:

Louisiana Educator Speaks Out Against Privatization

Mike Deshotels is a retired educator in Louisiana who blogs at http://louisianaeducator.blogspot.com/. He sent the following letter to the media: “To the Editor As an experienced, retired educator I feel I must speak out about the serious damage being done to public education in Louisiana by Governor Jindal and State Education Superintendent John White. Many educators are shocked and disappointed

by dianerav / 20min

What Happens If NFL Listens to Arne

This is a very funny spoof of federal education policy. Imagine Arne Duncan and Roger Goodell, the president of the NFL, calling a joint press conference to announce a new program called Race to the End Zone. Imagine an agreement that all teams will use the same plays. Now the NFL will have no failing teams! “We in the NFL love the Common Core Curriculum that Mr. Duncan is pushing on schools here

by dianerav / 0min mark as read  //  save

Why The Silence in Newark?

Newark is another “ground zero” for corporate style reform. Test scores are low, poverty rates are high, but remember there are No Excuses! Cami Anderson was hired by the state to lead the turnaround. Mark Zuckerberg put up $100 million. A turnaround firm was hired to do the turnaround. Cory Booker says that Newark will be a national model. But when a reporter asked for basic information about th

by dianerav / 1min 

Textbook Censorship in Indiana

Ten years ago, I wrote a book about the censorship of textbooks and tests by groups from every extreme of the political spectrum. Every group had its own political agenda, and the mechanism that made them successful was the state textbook adoption process. When the state board has the power to make publishers rewrite language that someone opposed. Texas and Caligornia were the worst offenders, bec

by dianerav / 6min

Bad News: Top Lawyer for Dems in Senate Comes from Gates Foundation

Millions of parents and teachers watch and hope that Congress will scrap the failed policies of the Bush administration called NCLB. It is this worrisome that the chief counsel for the Democrats on the Senate HELP committee was a senior policy person at the Gates Foundation. Gates is infamous for its religious devotion to measurement. “What cannot be measured cannot be controlled” is the line we

by dianerav / 8min 

Not Too Late to Profit from Public Education $$$

There is still time to register for the big conference that will show you how to make big profits from the tax dollars supposed to be spent on children and teachers. Hey, those teachers are making out like bandits, with some of them hauling in $40,000 a year, even as much as $75,000 a year, and all they do is teach 35-40 kids at a time. Why shouldn’t you learn the secrets to extracting millions

by dianerav / 0min 

A Shocking Display of Candor in Bridgeport

Ann Evans de Bernard is retiring as principal of a Bridgeport, Connecticut, K-8 school. She decided it was time to tell the truth about urban education. She explained that rises and falls on average test scores mean nothing because of the high mobility rate of her students. They move in and move out with stunning frequency. What do the scores mean? Nothing. The kids persevere despite many obstac

by dianerav / 18min 

Following the Money Trail in Chicago

This investigative article by Steve Horn traces the money trail that ties together the major players in the corporate reform movement in Chicago. From President Obama to Arne Duncan to Rahm Emanuel, the thread that ties them all together is the Joyce Foundation. As the privatization movement advances, its path has been well prepared by the city’s power brokers, who have decided not to support publ

by dianerav / 0min 

President Obama and the New Elitism

Paul Horton, a history teacher at the University of Chicago Lab School, wrote the following open letter to President Obama: July 12, 2013 Dear Mr. President, I am very concerned about how you decided to go the way that you did with your Education policies. I was recently told by a close friend of the yours that “Arne’s Team looked at all of the options” and decided to go with its current policies

by dianerav / 16min 

How “Reform” Killed My School: The Tragic Story of Delmont Elementary School

The following account of Delmont Elementary School was written by Jill Saia, who was its principal. I have deleted the “Dream School” folder on my computer. I am hoping that enough time has passed since our school was closed that I can write about it clearly and rationally, even though what was done to us was neither clear nor rational. For the last ten years that folder on my computer has contain

by dianerav / 1h 

Diane in the Evening 7-17-13 Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all

Diane Ravitch's blog | A site to discuss better education for all: What You Need to Know About CPS Budget CutsAs we learned in earlier posts (and see here), Chicago Public Schools cuts the central office budget every year. It is ruthless with the central office budget. No one works at headquarters except possibly Barbara Byrd-Bennett. This reader has studied the budget and offers an overview: “Sin

by mike simpson / 3h 

Carmen Lopez explains why taxpayers shouldn't be paying for Vallas' legal defense - Wait, What?

Carmen Lopez explains why taxpayers shouldn't be paying for Vallas' legal defense - Wait, What?:


Carmen Lopez explains why taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for Vallas’ legal defense

The following is a commentary piece that appeared in yesterday’s Connecticut Post.

It explains, in no uncertain terms, why it is legally and moral wrong for the taxpayers of Bridgeport and Connecticut to be paying Paul Vallas’ legal bills.  But leave it Mayor Bill Finch and the City of Bridgeport to turn their backs on the law and the taxpayers.

Paul Vallas brags that he balanced the Bridgeport school budget but he regularly overlooks the fact that in addition to picking up 80% of the cost of Bridgeport’s school budget, last year’s budget was balanced with an additional $3.4 million forgivable loan from the State of Connecticut….but the money had to be spent on educational costs…

So what is Bridgeport doing?  Spending tens of thousands to defend Paul Vallas’ and that was before the City hired one of Connecticut’s most prominent law firms to defend Vallas.

Here are the facts;

Mmm,mmm good? + Keep an eye out - Sacramento News & Review

Sacramento News & Review - Mmm,mmm good? - Feature Story - Local Stories - July 18, 2013:

Keep an eye out

Bites on public and political websites, repurposing closed schools and anti-signature-gathering thuggery

By Cosmo Garvin 
cosmog@newsreview.com

This article was published on 07.18.13.

Regular readers know that Bites is no fan of the constant, low-grade misuse and abuse of public resources that goes on at Sacramento City Hall. It’s corrosive. Like when people don’t use their turn signals.
This week, it’s city council websites.
Councilwoman Angelique Ashby’s official city council website is a spare and dull blue-gray page with a few links in small type. It doesn’t have to look good, because it’s designed to funnel visitors to her campaign page,www.angeliqueashby.com.
The latter site was created in 2010 as part of Ashby’s campaign for city council. It’s easy to tell. The main page is full of links to official District 1 press releases and photos. But with one click, you’re deep into the electioneering stuff, reading the candidate’s “campaign 

“Charter school organizations?” Bites asked, not too subtly. No, he said, but wouldn’t reveal more, other than to say it “wouldn’t upset anybody in the education community.”

Maybe so. But the thing is, it’s not really Schenirer’s, or any politician’s, job to decide what happens with those schools.

The school board was supposed to form a citizen committee to make recommendations on what schools, if any, ought to be closed. It refused to do that. But it was forced by state law to appoint a citizen “repurposing committee” to decide what to do with the schools once the decision to close them had been made. That way, in theory at least, the reuse of these important public properties can be decided in public, by members of the public, with public input.

But now we’ve got Schenirer and probably other politicians running around trying to cut deals. Before the citizen committee has even held its first meeting. Which is exactly the sort of thing that got us into the school-closure mess to begin with.

Mmm,mmm good?

On the rise and fall (and rise and fall, again) of an original Sacramento suburb

By Cosmo Garvin 
cosmog@newsreview.com

This article was published on 07.18.13.

Scott’s Burger Shack is a long walk from both light-rail stations near Franklin Boulevard, but business is up. Owner Scott Hackett says he just wishes there were fewer empty lots in the neighborhood. PHOTO BY ANDREW NIXON

This feature's author lives about a mile from Franklin Boulevard, and has eaten many mushroom burgers at Scott's Burger Shack. Photos for this feature story were taken by Andrew Nixon, a photographer for Capital Public Radio. Related stories: Sacramento landmark lost to fire Sacramento’s Franklin Boulevard tank house was one of the last of its kind. SN&R, 02.16.12. Blown away The Sacramento Bee’s Marcos Breton takes potshots at homelessness, Campbell Soup Company takes the money and runs. SN&R, 10.04.12. The dirty dozen Twelve great songs for bumpin’ and grindin.’ CN&R, 02.14.08. Boulevard dreams The remaking of Franklin Boulevard. SN&R, 01.22.09.

South Sacramento's 47th Avenue light-rail station is going to waste.
Passengers get off the train and are greeted by a high fence and an idled Campbell Soup Company plant. Across the parking lot and street are industrial buildings and truck fleets. Kitty-corner from those, another warehouse and a big, empty lot. Not the kind of land use you want if you’re going to take take full advantage of a high-end piece of transit infrastructure like light rail.
Leaving the station, travelers have a long walk before they get to anywhere in particular. Some nearby stretches of Franklin Boulevard don’t even have sidewalks. The one bus line that used to feed the 47th Avenue station was eliminated, due to budget cuts, in 2010. The bus stop is stenciled over with the words “No bus.”
“You’re kind of stuck,” says Tong Thao, a government-studies student who attends Sacramento State University. Thao grew up not far from here, in the south Sacramento neighborhood of Parkway. North of the station and the 

Missouri Education Watchdog: You Might Need a New Superintendent...If....(Thanks to Jeff Foxworthy)

Missouri Education Watchdog: You Might Need a New Superintendent...If....(Thanks to Jeff Foxworthy):

You Might Need a New Superintendent...If....(Thanks to Jeff Foxworthy)

Jeff Foxworthy, the largest selling comedy recording artist comedian (yes, look it up) is perhaps most famous for his "You might be a redneck" routine.

If

• You ever cut your grass and found a car...
• You own a home that is mobile and 5 cars that aren't...
• You think "loading the dishwasher" means getting your wife drunk...

you might be a redneck. 

I couldn't help but see some parallels when thinking about school district superintendents. Some questions school board members need to be asking themselves.

If

• Your Superintendent ever asked your board  to sign a document without reading it because it was "just some routine paperwork"
• Your superintendent has ever introduced a new program or policy with "DESE has told us we have to..."  or "I just do what DESE tells me"
• Your district appears on a list of districts supporting a policy that your board has never voted on
• Your superintendent has had administrative staff prepare a report with information the board never asked